The CliftonStrengths Coaching Blog is a resource for those who want to help others truly understand their strengths and learn how to use them. Gallup experts and outside contributors share tactics, insights, and strategies to help strengths coaches maximize the talent of individuals, teams, and organizations everywhere.

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Thursday, October 8, 2015

[Recap] Coaching, Sabbaticals and the STOP Method

On a recent Called to Coach: Australia Edition, we spoke with Gallup-certified Strengths Coach, Richard Burton.

Richard started his professional career
in property investment and sales. But after being in the industry for almost
ten years, he wasn't feeling fulfilled. He needed to really think about what he
wanted out of his career and his life, so he took an eight month sabbatical to
reflect on what to do. Richard had always been fascinated with helping others,
so he started to meet friends and acquaintances over coffee to discuss what
issues plagued them. It was then that he started informally coaching others.

Richard expanded his coaching
practice and began accepting clients. Two years ago, he discovered the Clifton
StrengthsFinder and incorporated it into his coaching repertoire. Richard
explained that StrengthsFinder helped him become a better leader, coach and
"talent spotter." Specifically, it helped him and others from getting
mired in trying to fix weaknesses. Instead, he honed in on improving his strengths
and using them every day.

Richard also believes that coaches
need to help their clients curb their hectic schedules by taking
mini-sabbaticals and using the acronym STOP. STOP means to Step back, Think,
and Organize your thoughts before you Proceed. This method helps clients
evaluate their careers -- do they enjoy their work, or are there activities
outside of work that they "get lost in?" STOP helps Richard's
clients focus on the latter activities and turn those into the basis
of a career.

To hear more about Richard and his coaching experiences and expertise, watch the video above.

Continue the coaching conversation on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a great way to network with others who share a passion for strengths!

Richard is a living, breathing example of living on purpose, through leveraging his own strengths. At the age of 37, despite holding a senior profile in the Australian property market, and with a young family to provide for, he made the huge decision to pause and transform his career. He took time off – long enough to identify his own strengths, passions, talents, core values and identity to find his InnerZone.